North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a state-supported liberal arts institution, was chartered in 1909 as a private institution and opened to students on July 10, 1910. It was founded by Dr. James E. Shepard. NCCU was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools as an “A” class institution in 1937 and was admitted to membership in that association in 1957. The General Assembly of 1939 authorized the establishment of graduate work in liberal arts and the professions. Pursuant thereto, graduate courses in the Arts and Sciences were first offered in that same year; the School of Law began operation in 1940, and the School of Library Science was established in 1941.

The School of Graduate Studies at NCCU is organized by subject matter departments which offer graduate instruction leading to advanced degrees. The School of Graduate Studies confers degrees through the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Education, School of Library and Information Sciences, and School of Law. The College of Arts and Sciences includes programs in the liberal arts and in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.

The mission of the School of Graduate Studies is to provide world-class education and to produce leaders that are culturally sensitive and engaged in their respective fields of study.